Mike Hutjens, University of Illinois Extension specialist, says farmers need to follw these rules when trying to trim feed costs:

* Never give up milk yield when looking to save money. Income will drop faster than expenses.

* Try to build value in milk. Boost milk fat, protein, quality -- all things farmers can control.

* Don't do anything to jeopardize the future health of the herd.

"We've got dairymen pulling mineral out of the program. Minerals don't control milk production, but they do impact reproduction, growth, cow health, the immune system," Hutjens said. "While you may not lose any milk for the first three months, you may not have any pregnant cows. You may have cows that have compromised health a year from now, when the price of milk will be better."